Uther Pendragon, a British lord, wins a great war and is named the King of England. Following this war, he marries Lady Igraine and the two have a son, Arthur. Merlin, Uther's adviser, comes to visit him one day and warns that Uther soon will die. Merlin warns that with Uther's death, another great civil war will begin and that during this war, some of Uther's enemies will try and murder young Arthur. To save his life, Merlin takes Arthur away and gives Arthur to a good knight, Sir Ector, to be raised. Sir Ector raises Arthur as his son and never tells Arthur the truth of his birth. Soon thereafter, Uther dies leaving the nation leaderless. A great civil war begins and England enters many dark years. Yet through these dark years, a prophecy provides England some hope. A magnificent sword sits embedded in a stone waiting the one true king to draw it forth and rule the kingdom. Many great knights attempt to draw this sword from the stone. None succeed.
The Sword in the Stone
As a boy, Arthur serves as squire to his older brother, Sir Kay. Sir Kay is a good and brave knight and he teaches Arthur how to become a good knight. Eventually, Arthur accompanies Sir Kay and Sir Ector to a tournament. At this tournament, knights battled for the chance to attempt to draw the magical Sword in the Stone. Yet before Kay could enter the lists and begin fighting, his sword was lost. Arthur, Sir Kay's squire, is sent to find the sword for his knight. Arthur fails at this and, in desperation, draws the Sword from the Stone. In doing this, Arthur proves that he is the one and true King of England. Eventually, Arthur will replace this sword with the one given to him by the magical Lady of the Lake; the great and mighty Excalibur.
After defeating all his enemies in England, King Arthur takes a wife and marries lady Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance and descendant of a great and noble family. As a dowry, Arthur receives the famous Round Table which he places in his castle of Camelot. At this table, Arthur and his greatest knights would meet, feast, celebrate, and rule the land. At this table, there was no head or foot, all knights were seen as equals. Legend tells that there were 150 seats at the Round Table. Knights came and went from Arthur's service but the most famous played a part in most of Arthurian legends.
After Lancelot's betrayal, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the departure of Merlin, Arthur's kingdom began to crumble around him. Morgan le Fey's son Mordred began to draw many of Arthur's vassals away from him and increase the size of his army. Arthur and his knights went to war with Mordred. In the great battle which followed Arthur and Mordred dueled. Mordred inflicted a mortal wound on Arthur using his cruel spear. Using Excalibur, Arthur pierced Mordred's magical armor and killed him. As he lay dying, Arthur ordered his most loyal knight to find a lake and throw Excalibur into the lake. This the knight did and when he returned to his king, he found Arthur gone. Sailing away from the shore was a boat bearing the wounded king and tending to the king were three beautiful queens. The boat was sailing to Avalon where Arthur would rest and await England's time of greatest need.
Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey Monmouth Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes Perceval, the Story of the Grail by Chrétien de Troyes Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Arthur in History
The "real" King Arthur has been sought after for centuries. While many historians have found evidence to support the existence of King Arthur, no consensus has been reached on his true origins. However, several historical "Arthurs" have been identified over the years.
Celtic Arthur
Some historians identify Arthur as a Celtic god or warlord from an earlier era. Others see his tale eminating from a collage of histories of several legendary warlords.
Romano-British Arthur
Some historians place Arthur as a Roman/ex-Roman officer who lead the defense of Britain against the Anglo-Saxon raiders in the 5th and 6th centuries. Historians subscribing to Arthur in this era cite the Battle of Mt. Badon as a key event in his life. Others cite the Battle of Camlann as the culminating battle in his life. This battle however is seen as largely fictional unlike Mt. Badon, which has greater archeological evidence. Other evidence points to several ruins located in southern England dating back to the 6th century.
Medieval Arthur
While many picture Arthur as a medieval King of England, little historical evidence places him in the mid or late middle ages. This image of Arthur, though popular, is mostly the result of literature and cinema.
Early Life
Table of Contents
Uther Pendragon, a British lord, wins a great war and is named the King of England. Following this war, he marries Lady Igraine and the two have a son, Arthur. Merlin, Uther's adviser, comes to visit him one day and warns that Uther soon will die. Merlin warns that with Uther's death, another great civil war will begin and that during this war, some of Uther's enemies will try and murder young Arthur. To save his life, Merlin takes Arthur away and gives Arthur to a good knight, Sir Ector, to be raised. Sir Ector raises Arthur as his son and never tells Arthur the truth of his birth. Soon thereafter, Uther dies leaving the nation leaderless. A great civil war begins and England enters many dark years. Yet through these dark years, a prophecy provides England some hope. A magnificent sword sits embedded in a stone waiting the one true king to draw it forth and rule the kingdom. Many great knights attempt to draw this sword from the stone. None succeed.
The Sword in the Stone
As a boy, Arthur serves as squire to his older brother, Sir Kay. Sir Kay is a good and brave knight and he teaches Arthur how to become a good knight. Eventually, Arthur accompanies Sir Kay and Sir Ector to a tournament. At this tournament, knights battled for the chance to attempt to draw the magical Sword in the Stone. Yet before Kay could enter the lists and begin fighting, his sword was lost. Arthur, Sir Kay's squire, is sent to find the sword for his knight. Arthur fails at this and, in desperation, draws the Sword from the Stone. In doing this, Arthur proves that he is the one and true King of England. Eventually, Arthur will replace this sword with the one given to him by the magical Lady of the Lake; the great and mighty Excalibur.The Round Table
After defeating all his enemies in England, King Arthur takes a wife and marries lady Guinevere, the daughter of King Leodegrance and descendant of a great and noble family. As a dowry, Arthur receives the famous Round Table which he places in his castle of Camelot. At this table, Arthur and his greatest knights would meet, feast, celebrate, and rule the land. At this table, there was no head or foot, all knights were seen as equals. Legend tells that there were 150 seats at the Round Table. Knights came and went from Arthur's service but the most famous played a part in most of Arthurian legends.The Knights of the Round Table
King ArthurSir Lancelot
Sir Gawain
Sir Geraint
Sir Gareth
Sir Gaheris
Sir Bedivere
Sir Galahad
Sir Kay
Sir Bors
Sir Lamorak
Sir Tristan
Sir Percival
Sir Pellinore
Sir Accolon
Other Notable Members of Arthur's Court
MerlinDagonet
Elaine the Fair
King Lot
Vivian
Knighthood
Code of KnighthoodThe Oath of Knights
Arms and Armor of a knight
Other types of medieval soldiers
The Quests and Challenges of the Knights of the Round Table
The Black Knight
Excalibur
Sir Damas and Sir Ontzlake
The Green Knight
The Red Knight
The Questing Beast
The Holy Grail
Morgan le Fey's treachery
The Departure of Merlin
Lancelot's Betrayal
Mordred
The Story of Tristan and Isolde
The Death of Arthur
After Lancelot's betrayal, the quest for the Holy Grail, and the departure of Merlin, Arthur's kingdom began to crumble around him. Morgan le Fey's son Mordred began to draw many of Arthur's vassals away from him and increase the size of his army. Arthur and his knights went to war with Mordred. In the great battle which followed Arthur and Mordred dueled. Mordred inflicted a mortal wound on Arthur using his cruel spear. Using Excalibur, Arthur pierced Mordred's magical armor and killed him. As he lay dying, Arthur ordered his most loyal knight to find a lake and throw Excalibur into the lake. This the knight did and when he returned to his king, he found Arthur gone. Sailing away from the shore was a boat bearing the wounded king and tending to the king were three beautiful queens. The boat was sailing to Avalon where Arthur would rest and await England's time of greatest need.Famous Arthurian Works
Historia Regum Britanniae by Geoffrey MonmouthLancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes
Perceval, the Story of the Grail by Chrétien de Troyes
Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory
Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner
The Once and Future King by T. H. White
Arthur in History
The "real" King Arthur has been sought after for centuries. While many historians have found evidence to support the existence of King Arthur, no consensus has been reached on his true origins. However, several historical "Arthurs" have been identified over the years.Celtic Arthur
Some historians identify Arthur as a Celtic god or warlord from an earlier era. Others see his tale eminating from a collage of histories of several legendary warlords.Romano-British Arthur
Some historians place Arthur as a Roman/ex-Roman officer who lead the defense of Britain against the Anglo-Saxon raiders in the 5th and 6th centuries. Historians subscribing to Arthur in this era cite the Battle of Mt. Badon as a key event in his life. Others cite the Battle of Camlann as the culminating battle in his life. This battle however is seen as largely fictional unlike Mt. Badon, which has greater archeological evidence. Other evidence points to several ruins located in southern England dating back to the 6th century.Medieval Arthur
While many picture Arthur as a medieval King of England, little historical evidence places him in the mid or late middle ages. This image of Arthur, though popular, is mostly the result of literature and cinema.King Arthur Final Assessment